Hold your breath: efforts to improve air quality still in early stages
Air quality in Cache Valley was recorded in recent years as some of the worst in the nation, and the season for that bad air has once again arrived.
With winter in the valley comes inversion, a condition where air close to the ground is cooler than the air above it. In this specific region, inversions are a problem because that cool air, along with emissions generated in the valley, is locked in by warmer air above and the surrounding mountains on all sides. The trapping of pollutants creates a visible haze recognized by locals.
“Really we’re talking about a handful of days in the winter,” said Amy Christensen, deputy director of communications for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, “and really what we’re talking about is that haze.”
She said generally a storm is what flushes out harmful air and restores clean air.
Emissions found in the haze generate particles called PM2.5s. Rebecca Giles, manager of the Utah Department of Health Asthma Program, said a PM2.5 creates a problem “because it’s such a small particle that it’s inhaled deeper inside the lungs.”
She said bigger particulates can be caught by nose hairs and cilia. They are removed from the body, often by sneezing or coughing.
Giles said PM2.5s, however, are too small to be caught by cilia.
“It goes deeper into the lungs and does damage there,” she said.
However, Tylar Glenn, a senior majoring in public health, said the campus health and wellness center doesn’t see an increase of sickness from inversions in winter.
“We see slightly more upper respiratory infections, but that’s because it’s cold and flu season anyway,” Glenn said. “But it’s not necessarily attributed to air quality.”
Jared Day, a senior majoring in finance and economics, moved to Logan when he was 10 years old. He said the issue of air quality has existed for as long as he can remember.
“For school on bad air days, we couldn’t have recess, and we’d have to play inside,” Day said.
Staying indoors on days when the air quality is particularly poor is a general health precaution.
Jill Parker, public relations director for Bear River Health Department, said there’s an app called Utah Air, making it possible for residents to check their local air quality at the click of a button.
“I think it’s important for everyone in Utah to own the air quality problem,” Christensen said. “They should ask themselves what they can do to make things better.”
She said small changes could make a big difference, but Day said he feels like residents have gotten used to the idea of having bad air days.
“Now it’s not as much of a scare. It’s just kind of a part of life to realize that there are bad air days,” Day said. “In my personal opinion, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. I mean, everyone needs to be aware and avoid driving or being out in the air on bad days, but overall I don’t think it needs to be a big deal.”
Cody Lutz, a senior majoring in environmental and natural resource economics, offered his opinion as to why people who live in Cache Valley may not be concerned.
“Maybe (it’s not as important) in the public eye because it’s not new and groundbreaking,” Lutz said, “but I think as far as local and state governments, they’re still working on it, finding ways to fix it.”
Christensen said trapped emissions in the haze are often generated by automobiles and sometimes by industry.
She said a state-wide concern is the growing population in Utah and greater emissions caused by more cars on the road.
In response to that concern, the Cache County Council voted for mandatory emissions testing in the Valley last year and charged Bear River Health Department with implementing that process in 2014. This fall, USU also implemented an emissions-testing program for the vehicles of those who have on-campus parking passes.
Carpooling or using alternative forms of transportation, such as walking, riding bicycles or riding the bus, can also help reduce emissions.
Randy Park, manager of planning and marketing for Cache Valley Transit District, said part of their mission statement is to “directly support improvements to air quality.”
“We’re in the business for mass transportation,” Park said. “In last two years, we’ve been averaging 2 million rides. It translates to about 40 people per hour — for every hour we operate, we carry 40 people on average. When you compare that nationally, we’re in the top five.”
He said in 2011, a USU graduate student and associate research professor Randy Martin studied the emissions produced by CVTD buses and found that a bus provides the same amount of pollution as one average automobile.
“If you can get more than one person on a bus at one time, you’re having a positive effect on air quality,” Park said.
He said he hopes students form habits of using alternative transportation, which would affect future generations.
Emily Malik, Logan City conservation coordinator, said one thing the city has been implementing is an idling ordinance to reduce excess emissions from cars.
“It’s meant to be used as an education opportunity,” Malik said. “If an officer approaches someone, they receive three warnings before getting a ticket.”
Emissions can also be caused by burning wood in fireplaces. Christensen said Utah’s governor recently called for commentary on the possibility of a ban on wood fires.
According to Utah Clean Air (UCAIR), one fireplace can emit as much particulate pollution as 90 SUVs.
Lutz said a club within his major will conduct a cost-benefit analysis in 2014 to measure costs, such as emissions testing, and compare it with benefits, such as a potentially reduced number of bad air quality days.
“It’s still in early stages,” Lutz said. “It’ll be hard to tell at first because of yearly fluctuations, but after a few years, we’ll have more to base it on.”
— m.noble@aggiemail.usu.edu